- Themes of illness and disruption continue (sickness, snow)
- Music he likes: Green Day
- Still lots of audio book listening and tracking scores of so many sports
- He's still at it with piano and may play in the spring recital!
- YMCA day with James on their Jan day off school
- Non-audio book dabbles: Bey Blades, Circuits, his recorder
- Motorcycle computer game and video games
- Zach shoveled
- His understanding of logic impresses me!
- World history and geo politics conversations
- Around time of going to George Mason basketball game, we talked about Zach's preferred colleges: UVA and James Madison; he wants to be close to home but not really close
Zach & School
- The last 6+ weeks have gone pretty well. He's gotten his points each week for good behavior, except for two weeks; one of those weeks, he got a 1/2 point and the other week (after he'd earned his reward), we heard from Sra. Serrano, so it's a work in progress!
- Lots of indoor recess and we continue to support Zach not having his computer
- Homework in the mornings is pretty consistent, with disruptions, of course, Frank got sick with the flu and he was gone on his guys trip, but we're adjusting and re-adjusting!
- Pokémon, hockey and soccer Valentine's cards were a hit
- Friendship Circle/Club/Group
- Conversations about struggles for 3rd graders in Spanish Immersion with Mike and the What'sApp group
- Google slides and funny memes
- Zach started a spring club, and he LOVES strategy and board game club!
Zach Health
- He had his 9 year old well appointment; all is well; I love RTCPeds' Nancy!
- As for his orthodontics journey, he made it to the end with his expander. Yay! He is wearing No. 28 until his Invisalign is ready at the end of March
Zach & Sports
- The team had a three game winning streak and is advancing through their bracket. Today is the semi-final and final if they make it
- The Goods basketball camp on Prez Day with Jackson, Tom, Noah, Owen E.
- Lots of regular and some goalie canceled
- A scrimmage leading up to the tournament
- Arlington Tournament kickstarted the season and it was a Team White exclusive - no guest players. They won big in their first three games and were well-matched in the final, but lost. So disappointed for them! From a Team Manager perspective, the tournament was not the best experience. Challenges included an unexpected extra fee for paying with a credit card; significant driving time between fields, which did not allow for any team bonding; reporting scores incorrectly or not at all; no port-a-toilets at the Arlington field location where we played two for four games. It was nice to have Coach Rich Shelton coach the boys in their first game. He's a lot like Jake, but is a little more generous with his praise.
- Jake sent me a text praising Zach's goalie performance in the tournament. I appreciated it so much!
- The Bibim bap and ginger lemonade at the Korean spa were AMAZING! Yum!
- Eggplant appetizer at Crust
- Auntie Em's sourdough bread and muffins
- Costco muffins are delicious
- Extra crispy tater tots at Ed's Bulletin
- Valentine's Brownies
- Auntie Em's white bean pesto soup, tomato soup, and sour dough bread
- Leni's breakfast bowl and Turkish-style lentils
- Ted's Bulletin's extra crispy tater tots!
- Zach's loves Trader Joe's equivalent of Taki's; sharing them at school; sharing them with Katie and Suji
- Brunch with Emily at Ted's Bulletin and the next weekend, Emily and I went to one of the Korean spas, and it was such a great day. Trump's and Musk's wraths had barely been implemented, and I could offer Emily some hope for a future outside of the federal government
- Food for Sarah Beth and Bryan
- Super Bowl party
- Snow day and playing outside with Teddy, Logan, and Cora
- Calls with Paige
- Two catch ups with Kathleen
- Checked in on Greer, Emily Rogers
- Birthday parties for Zach: Tom and a chance to chat with Chari (we went for coffee together) + good connection with Monica and Claire
- Zach and playdates: Tom, Noah, Theo, and Aidan
- Soccer families snack pack packing + Skull King playing
- Walk around Lake Fairfax during soccer practice with Jenn, Jenny, Beth
- We've walked a few times
- Good bus stop family fun
- Reconnecting with Janna
- Quentin ask Zach to play (The 3-year old neighbor)
- Leni had Zach and I over to sample the Turkish-style lentil soup, and she fed us!
- Dinner with Katie and Suji
Family Fun
- Skull King playing
- Dinners out
- Ski trip to Massanutten
- Percy Jackson, Harry Potter movies
- Just Dance
Frank & Zach
- Skiing at Bryce with James, a trip to Wisp, and an overnight to Snowshoe
- Rescued a cat tree cast off for Callie and she loves it
- Video games, esp Harry Potter Legacy
- Math and literacy night at school
- Went to two of James' hockey games; I saw Oshi - a Washington Capitals player
- Church with Zach for the first time since Nov
- Watched the Caps game on tv; they won against the Penguins
- George Mason basketball game
- Zaytinya with Zach and the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum
- Kitchen show down
- Lots of challenges with boundaries and so much listening
- Sports weekend galore while Frank was in Colorado
- Tried Jeni's ice cream
- Watched Remember the Titan's
- Zach and his fingernail that made me laugh so hard
- "Eh" VM
Gratitude: We are somewhat regularly sharing our gratitude
Personal and Professional Fun and Not So Fun
- Volunteering at the school hanging art and at Family Science Night
- The Michigan camp I found looks super-cool, and those people are nice and proactive and responsive. Love it.
- Aspiring Leaders and Le Susan Fort
Fun and not fun:
- Having to plan for camp and summer vacation in Michigan
- Prepping for Spain - found our lodging for Madrid
Health
- Had a telemedicine about my Gabapentin prescription; I am down to one dose in 24-hours
- Jumped through the hoops to get my colonoscopy scheduled in the next six months
Learning
- Good Inside and Dr. Becky video that frustration = learning zone. The space between knowing and not knowing is the frustration zone, and we all need to build our frustration tolerance
- Spanish learning
- Daniel Pink course
- The stoics are testing me
Reading
- The Last Thing He Told Me
- The Other Black Girl
- Caste
- This Side of Home
- Heather Cox Richardson's daily Letters from an American
Listening
- Motivation 10-25
- NPR again
Watching
- XO Kitty
- Nobody Wants This
- Abbott Elementary
- Movies: Plus One, Work It, Dolce Vita, Picture This
- Started Night Agent, The Other Black Girl, and started back on Pose, but too intense for current reality
Not So Fun
- Camp nonsense; the world is falling apart and the U.S. is elevating White men above all, and I'm worried about camp for Zach. Really?!
- Family Game Night at LAES - hated it!
Professional
- Started working at the global level the week of January 27 and it's rough. The team works a lot of hours and many of my initial tasks are really energy-draining. However, there are glimmers of energy-giving projects.
- Learning about Hungary because of my colleagues there
- Everything related to DEIB ended and rolled back
- Stops to funding for important programs like USAID
- Helping neighbors: food for Sarah Beth and Bryan
- Got the ball rolling to hold the neighborhood and soccer family volunteer event with Cornerstones. We packed snack packs the week of Feb 8 and I delivered on Feb 10
- Met with Leni on Feb 2 to discuss building community locally with and for our neighbors. She has an entrepreneurial spirit, and has a vision of making "ready to use" soup packets.
- Ezra Klein's - Don't Believe Him
- Russia and Ukraine; Trump calling Zelinsky a "dictator."
- Removing impartial armed forces, firing special counsels, legal protections, FBI employees who prosecuted.
- Firing Federal Workers who are in probationary period
- Frank and I jump started our giving: New giving on my end to ACLU, The Trevor Project (recommended by Rae), funding for NPR - WAMU and listening again
- Subscribed to Heather Cox Richardson and her "Letters from an America;" she cites Politico, so it might be another good place to give funds.
- Fights in the court and resources to immigrants and LGBTQIA+ community
- Bought cards for immigrants outlining their 2nd Amendment Rights in English and Spanish; great videos by ACLU
- Helping fired Federal government workers find work
- Aunt Billie called Mom to check in on us all
- We participated in the eonomic boycott on Feb 28
- Kathleen shared resources
- Listening to NPR again
What I'm thinking about
- Zach and standing up when he doesn't agree with something is a great thing! Need to encourage! At school, it's recess, and even if iit's hard and getting him into trouble at school right now, I need to encourage his resist mindset.
- Susan David's post about contributing through who you are:
- A moment where you helped someone else succeed.
- A decision where you prioritized long-term trust over short-term speed.
- A time when you brought creativity, emotional agility, or collaboration to a challenge.
- A way in which you made work feel more human—for yourself or someone else.
- Something you learned that made you better, not just busier.
